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Who is Cosmo Jarvis? Is the World Strange or Am I Strange album review

Not many people will have heard of this artist but this is quite surprising as he has had a lot of praise over the years and has supported acts such as Muse, Gabriella Climi, Gym Class Heroes, Panic at The Disco, The Sunshine Underground, Reverend and the Makers and The Holloways. Which is quite an impressive list for someone that most people would ask the question who is he?

Looking at his second album, ‘Is The World Strange or Am I Strange?’ I think it answers the question why not a lot of people have heard of him and even though it is a brilliant album, the old saying comes to mind, a jack of all trades but master of none. This is one of the most versatile albums you will probably ever hear with Cosmo able to use nearly every genre from folk to rap to create a sound that is most of all just fun to listen to and will get you singing along and tapping your foot to. Some of the songs do drag slightly like ‘Sure as Hell Not Jesus’ but he has made an album exactly how he wants and hasn’t left anything out that he enjoys himself which has probably hindered his mainstream success as he hasn’t done what so many other artists have done and copied successful artists. He hasn’t had a single song chart in the UK and this is a real shame, in particular the song ‘Gay Pirates’ which should have done a lot better and gained support from famous people like Stephen Fry and John Barrowman. Yes, I know what most people will think as soon as they hear the title and that it’s just a joke but in all honesty it shows the songwriters advanced level of sophistication and how he can tell a brilliant story. You actually feel as though he is the character himself and is a very strong opening to the album that challenges the subject of forbidden love and that there is still prejudice towards the gay community in the world today.

There are enough catchy songs on the album though that if they had gained enough support would surely have got more radio time than they actually did, ‘Dave’s House’ is an example of this and even though some people will not like the song, I can guarantee that most will know the chorus after one play and will sing along to it. Other songs on the album that really impressed me were, ‘Blame It On Me’ as it has an up tempo, folk style vibe to it and is a little different. ‘Is The World Strange’ which is a slow rap with fantastic lyrics. ‘She Doesn’t Mind’ which is about a situation that nearly everyone will go through and that is trying to convince your parents that your partner is good enough for you. Finally, ‘My Day’ also impressed me as it shows his punk style and is a very funny track about our generation.

I believe a lot of people will love this album because of how experimental and completely different it is. I can’t decide how to describe it, and possibly the best words are quirky and strange. However, I also believe that the same number of people will hate this album and not see the point to it at all.

2 thoughts on “Who is Cosmo Jarvis? Is the World Strange or Am I Strange album review”

This is one of my favourite albums that I have heard in a long time and I do think Cosmo Jarvis is very talented and, like you say, the album is very diverse in genres. My favourite songs are ‘Gay Pirates’, ‘Dave’s House’ and ‘Sure as Hell Not Jesus’ but I do like all of them. I’m pleased he has refused to conform to horrible pop music and just continue doing what he likes!

Yeah it is always good to see people doing what they want rather than conforming to the masses and just producing the rubbish that is getting into the charts at the minute. But if he ever wants to be really successful he probably will have to one day